Nelson was a young South African with a reputation for trouble-making. Who would have thought he would one day lead his people to freedom?

Nelson grew up at a time when black South Africans suffered terrible injustice. He was determined to change this even if it meant grave personal danger.

Twenty seven years of his life were spent in prison, and everyone seemed to be against him even his own family but Nelson never stopped fighting for what he believed in: true equality for all, no matter what the colour of their skin.

Part of the Great Lives series - children's history books for 9-12 year olds.

Kader Asmal was one of the most respected senior statesmen in South Africa. He lived a rich and varied life, in all the twists and turns of which he has displayed boundless energy, a sharp mind and deep commitment to human rights and democratic values.

Kader Asmal, lawyer and teacher, South African Cabinet minister, and the driving force behind the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement, has been called many things – ‘small, bustling, curious, courageous, indefatigable’ (Irish Times) and ‘dapper, combative, witty, cantankerous, sarcastic, urbane, precisely spoken’ (Sunday Times). The son of a small-town shopkeeper from Natal, his life took him as far as exile in the UK, on to a senior position at Trinity College Dublin, and back to a free South Africa, governed by an exemplary Constitution, which he helped devise.

These memoirs are not only Asmal’s personal journey. They are also the story of South Africa’s transition from apartheid to freedom and democracy, in which he played a significant role, as a member of the ANC’s Constitutional Committee and negotiating team and later as an MP and Cabinet minister under Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. They provide testimony, too, to Asmal’s lifelong dedication to freedom, equality and justice – ideals enshrined in the country’s Bill of Rights, which he played a major part in writing.

Desmond Tutu is one of the most respected and influential leaders in South Africa and the world. From his modest beginnings in dusty townships, during the time spent as a teacher and his early days in the priesthood, to the days when he led the Anglican church in South Africa, he has consistently fought for his goal of a democratic alliance. This book tells the story of how, throughout his life, Tutu, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, has called for peace, love and brotherhood of all people. He has lived according to the principles of ubuntu: "that gift Africans have for the world, which says that a person can be a person only through other persons".

His story shows his warmth, his intelligence, his energy and his sense of humour and, above all, how he stuck to what he believed against all odds. Tutu will always be remembered as one of the great champions of humanity. Written in an entertaining style, this book draws on extensive research and interviews with Tutu himself to capture the essence of the man. They Fought for Freedom tells the life stories of southern African leaders who struggled for freedom and justice. In spite of the important roles they played in the history of southern Africa, most of these leaders have been largely ignored by the history books. The series tells their stories in an entertaining manner, in clear language and aims to restore them to their rightful place in history.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, seun van 'n hoofman, is gebore in die Transkei, en was van die begin af bestem vir grootheid. Tog was sy pad gesaai met struikelblokke en is hy weggeskeur van sy geliefdes. Hy is verban en uitgelewer, maar deur sy veg vir vryheid, gelyke regte en menslikheid, het hy daarin geslaag om een van die mees merkwaardige figure te word wat die geskiedenis nog ooit opgelewer het. Na amper drie dekades in die gevangenis, sal Mandela see naam altyd sinoniem wees met 'n bomenslike kapasiteit vir vergifnis, geduld, en 'n onontbeerlike oortuiging dat wat reg is sal triomfeer. Sy karakter, moed, nederigheid en medemenslikheid het gemaak dat die Suid-Afrikaanse volk hom vandag beskou as die Vader van die Nasie. Hierdie titel vertel Mandela se storie.

Born to a chief and his fourth wife in the rural Transkei, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was destined for greatness, but that long walk was to be littered with obstacles that would not only tear him from his loved ones and separate him from normal society for much of his life, but also set him apart from so many others who side by side with him in what is one of the most remarkable struggles for freedom, human dignity and equal rights that Africa has ever seen. After nearly three decades of imprisonment, Mandela was to emerge as the man who conquered the odds to embody the triumph of the human spirit. His name will forever be associated with the human capacity for suffering, of victory over adversity, of patience, forgiveness and a steadfast, iron-clad conviction that, in the end, principles will endure. The qualities of character, courage, humility and compassion that are personified in Mandela have allowed his people to embrace him as the Father of the Nation. This is his story, in words and pictures.